Richard Parkes Bonington. Bologne / Etching published by Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Paris, after 1859.

Artist: Richard Parkes Bonington (British, 1802–1828)
Title: Bologne
Medium: Etching on laid paper
Date: Drawing ca. 1827; etching published posthumously after 1859
Dimensions:
– Image: 194 × 130 mm
– Plate mark: 200 × 130 mm
– Sheet: 282 × 202 mm

Publisher: Gazette des Beaux-Arts
Printer: Alfred Salmon (French, fl. 1863–1894); imprint: Imp. A. Salmon, Paris
Catalogue reference: Beraldi 64

Inscriptions (printed):
– Lower centre: BOLOGNE
– Lower left: Gazette des Beaux-Arts
– Lower right: Imp. A. Salmon, Paris
– Artist’s monogram in plate, lower right: RPB

Description:
Etching after a drawing by Richard Parkes Bonington, depicting a lively street scene in Bologna, Italy. Figures in early 19th-century dress populate a narrow street lined with historic architecture, with one of the city’s medieval towers rising in the background. The composition, likely based on a sketch from Bonington’s final Italian travels, balances topographical accuracy with atmospheric delicacy — hallmarks of his Romantic style.

This print was produced and published posthumously by the Gazette des Beaux-Arts, after Bonington died in 1828. The etching reproduces a composition dated circa 1827, the year before his death. The printer’s imprint and journal attribution confirm that the plate was issued after 1859.

Impression:
Fine proof on laid paper.

Condition:
Scattered foxing. Binding crease at left edge. Residue from matting and surface disturbance (épiderme) on verso.

Note:
Listed in Beraldi’s Les Graveurs du XIXe siècle as no. 64. Bonington's work was frequently republished in France during the Romantic revival of the 1860s–70s, reflecting his lasting influence on both English and French landscape and architectural printmaking.